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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24715369">Colliding Worlds</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuzanneKerslake/pseuds/SuzanneKerslake'>SuzanneKerslake</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Harley Keener &amp; Peter Parker Friendship, Harley Keener Whump, Harley Keener is a Good Bro, Hurt Harley Keener, Hurt Peter Parker, Peter Parker Whump, Peter Parker is a Good Bro, Protective May Parker (Spider-Man), Protective Pepper Potts, Protective Tony Stark, Tony Stark Acting as Harley Keener's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 00:40:58</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,467</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24715369</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuzanneKerslake/pseuds/SuzanneKerslake</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony had always wanted Peter and Harley to meet. He had always wanted to see the two contrasting yet somehow similar teenagers interact with other.<br/>But never had he expected his two worlds to collide right in the middle of the MedBay of the Avengers Tower. </p><p> </p><p>*Set after Spider-man : Homecoming but before Avengers Infinity war.*</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Happy Hogan &amp; Tony Stark, Harley Keener &amp; Peter Parker, Harley Keener &amp; Tony Stark, May Parker (Spider-Man) &amp; Peter Parker &amp; Tony Stark, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Peter Parker &amp; Tony Stark</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>121</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Surprise Old Man!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hey guys!<br/>Ta-da! Here I am with my second work. This is going to be a multi-chapter fic. So I'm open to suggestions!<br/>Consequent chapters will be posted every Sunday.</p><p>I just hope you enjoy it!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tony pinches the bridge of his nose as he nurses the mild headache blooming behind his eyes thereby concluding one thing.</p><p>Board meetings were officially the <em>most</em> boring, lame and disgusting event in this <em>entire-freakin’-world</em>.</p><p>His phone buzzing is a welcome distraction but as he slips a hand into his pocket, he sees Pepper shoot a glare at him out of the corner of his eye. He makes the best puppy dog eyes he can and she caves in sighing. <em>Gotcha there, Ms Potts.</em></p><p>By the time he fishes his phone out, it buzzes once again.</p><p>There’s a string of texts from Happy.</p><p> </p><p><em> <b>Hap: </b> </em> <em>just dropped the kid at the lobby he’ll be in lab by now </em></p><p><em> <b>Hap: </b> </em> <em>he talked my ear off abt the weekend plans just fyi </em></p><p><em> <b>Hap: </b> </em> <em>srsly i deserve a pay raise tony -_-</em></p><p> </p><p>He smirks as he types out a reply.</p><p><em> <b>Tony:</b> </em> <em> it’s a part of the job hap learn to live with it </em></p><p><em> <b>Tony:</b> </em> <em> btw i know you secretly luv it ;) </em></p><p> </p><p>He pockets his phone and clears his throat to get the attention of everyone present.</p><p>“Excuse me, gentlemen. I gotta leave now. Ms Potts here, will cover for me.” he announces. As a series of murmured protests rise from the board members, Pepper arches an eyebrow. <em>Peter </em>he mouths to her and she smiles in understanding. He sends a wink in her way as he puts on his sunglasses and looks pointedly at the so-called-gentlemen.</p><p>“Anyone having any objections can voice it <em>now</em>.” he finishes with a slight edge to his voice.</p><p>And that effectively shuts them up.</p><p>"You can leave Tony. I'll brief you about this later." Pepper says softly and nods at him encouragingly. <em> God, he loves this woman. </em></p><p>As he makes his way out of the meeting to his lab, he cannot help but wonder about how much his life had changed in the past few months. After the entire Rogers-Barnes-fiasco in Siberia, there was a coldness that gripped his heart until the moment he found a teary-eyed Pepper Potts standing right in the middle of his living room. She said nothing but rubbed circles in his back, as she held him when he broke down, unable to shoulder the weight of the betrayal anymore. He had cried and cried until he exhausted himself to borderline unconsciousness that Pepper had to help him to his bed.</p><p>“Please don’t leave Pep. <em>Please.</em>” he had begged clutching her wrist, fighting to keep his eyes open as sleep tugged at him.</p><p>“I will not, Tony. I will <em>never</em>.” she had whispered as she carded her sleek fingers through his hair. There was a fierce protectiveness raging in her eyes and Tony felt a steady warmth melt the coldness that surrounded his heart as darkness engulfed him.</p><p>Things had indeed started to look up after his patch-up with Pepper until he had <em>royally</em> screwed the pooch with Peter during Homecoming. He just wanted the kid to be safe.<em> But NO. He can never get what he wants that easily, can he?</em> Peter was practically a <em>damn</em> magnet that attracted anything labelled <em>TROUBLE</em>. On top of it, the kid dove head first into anything that <em>screamed</em> DANGER making things ten times more difficult. Sometimes, Tony just wished that he could wrap the kid in a bubble and keep him out of harm’s way. He wondered how in the world May had managed to keep this kid safe for so many years.</p><p>And the answer dawned on him when one fine evening she marched up to him and punched him right in his pretty little face.</p><p>“How <em>dare you, Stark? </em> How dare you not tell me that my nephew is <em>freaking</em> Spider-man?”</p><p>
  <em>May Parker was one hell of a women to deal with.</em>
</p><p>That evening was well-- eventful in several ways. But ultimately after a lot of explanation from Peter, Pepper, Happy and Tony himself, May had restrained herself from strangling Tony right then and there. Then together they had worked out about how superheroing stuff is going to affect Peter’s life. May had finally accepted, though grudgingly, that it was the best for Tony to continue mentoring Peter and Tony counted that as a win. So, the rules were laid, curfew was set and lab times were scheduled. Peter would come to the Avengers Tower every Wednesday after school for suit upgrades and stay over alternate weekends during which Tony and Peter would tinker in the lab, conduct training sessions and improve the mentor-mentee relationship.</p><p>With that set, Tony’s life actually seemed to brighten up. The kid was a basically a ball of energy and Tony had come to love his constant rambling as it kept his mind away from other depressing things. The kid was a little genius and it was fun working with him when he geeked out over anything and everything. Sometimes, Tony wondered what in the world had he done to gain the kid's blind faith and respect. Nevertheless, Peter trusted him and Tony would tear the world apart before letting him down. It is suffice to say that kid had slowly wormed his way to Tony’s heart and was sticking like a leech.</p><p>The elevator dings when it arrives at his lab floor. As he enters, he expects the kid to be already working on his web-shooters but is slightly taken aback when he finds him sitting in his workstation with his head in his hands.</p><p>“You alright, kid?” he asks worry lacing his tone.</p><p>Peter jerks his head back to look at him.</p><p>“H-Hey Mr Stark! I’m alright! It’s just a headache.” Peter swivels in his chair enthusiastically.</p><p>Not satisfied with the answer, Tony raises an eyebrow doubtfully.</p><p>“Oh c’mon Mr Stark! It’s just a headache! Nothing to worry about.” Peter insists waving his hands in the air.</p><p>“Alright then, you wanna look at the new blueprints for your web-shooters?” Ignoring the lingering worry, he gestures for Peter to come over to his station.</p><p>“Yesss Mr Stark!”</p><p>And just like that they start working. Tony was never a good at tinkering as a team. But with Peter it is an entirely different story. The kid and him fit like missing pieces in a jigsaw-puzzle. Just like him and one other kid in Rose Hill,Tennessee who is probably sitting in a class bored to death with its content. He smiles as he thinks about the one and only Harley Keener in al his glory, his witty remarks, his sarcastic grin and his don't-care attitude. Tony had somehow always found time to keep in touch with the kid whose garage he had unceremoniously crashed into during the Mandarin incident. Harley was Tony's reality check. He had no qualms about pointing out the blunders that Tony commits or about giving suggestions about his problems and Tony is immensely grateful for that honest opinion which Harley offers without judging him.</p><p>Harley is set to come over to compound during the summer break and Tony can't wait for Peter and Harley to meet. Though, he has told each of them about the other, it is definitely going to be interesting to see the two kids from his two worlds meet in person.</p><p>Tony swivels in his chair to share his musings with Peter and that's when he notices the kid profusely sweating.</p><p>
  <em>What the hell! It’s freaking 74 F in here!</em>
</p><p>Tony immediately jolts out of his chair and moves next to Peter and he notices the kids hands trembling in the slightest. <em>Nope. </em><em>N</em><em>ot a good sign.</em></p><p>“<em>Peter</em>?” he calls out tentatively as he places a hand on his shoulder.</p><p>When the kid turns to look at him, Tony’s anxiety skyrockets. The kids face is pale and slick with sweat and his pupils have blown into his irises. <em>Shit!</em> <em>Something is definitely wrong.</em></p><p>“F.R.I.D.A.Y?” he cannot keep the tremble out of his voice.</p><p>“<em>Boss, Mr Parker </em><em>is</em><em> showing early symptoms of poisoning </em><em>that include paleness, dilated pupils and mild cardiac arrhythmia</em><em>. A med-team is on it’s way. ETA 1.5 minutes. I have also contacted </em><em>Dr </em><em>Cho. She is making her way towards the med-bay as we speak.</em>”</p><p>If Tony thought his heart was racing before, it was nothing compared to now.</p><p>“No-no Mr Stark. I’m al-alright. It’s no-nothing” Peter slurs trying to wriggle out of Tony’s grasp only to have his knees buckle and Tony catches him before he implants his face on the floor.</p><p>“Kid?!”</p><p>“Okay o-okay I guess somethin’ is wrong.” he admits as Tony gently lowers him to the ground.</p><p>Tony mentally berates himself for not noticing it earlier. <em>Your fault. Your f</em><em>reaking</em><em> fault. </em>A familiar tightness spreads in his chest and oh god! <em>h</em><em>e can’</em><em>t</em><em> breathe!</em> He drags a breath in through his nose, holds it, then pushes it out. <em>NO</em>. <em><strong>NO</strong></em>. He can’t afford to panic now. Peter needs him. Peter trusted him. And he can’t let him down.</p><p>“<em>Pete,</em> I need you to stay awake okay?” he cups Peter’s face gently. “ You are going to be alright. Just stay awake kid. Please.” The kid nods slowly and grips the sleeve of Tony’s shirt.</p><p>Tony hears the elevator dinging and the the medics rush into the lab. Tony wastes no time as he scoops Peter up with practiced ease and places him on the gurney. His heart breaks a little as the kid whimpers reaching out for him. He takes hold of the hand between his palms and squeezes gently.</p><p>The journey from the lab to the MedBay is blurry as Tony is completely focused on whispering reassurances into Peter’s ears as the kid struggles to breathe. At one point he is stopped by a doctor telling him to let go of Peter’s hand so that they can take over. <em>But he can’t. He just can’t let go. </em></p><p>“<em>Stark! Let go of his hand and let me do my work!” </em>The shrill voice of Helen Cho pierces his foggy brain and he lets go of Peter’s hand only to regret it immediately as the world blurs around him.</p><p>
  <em>Peter had been poisoned.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>His kid had been freaking poisoned.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>And all he can do is freaking watch as the Doctors ran around him frantically.</em>
</p><p>“Tony, you have to breathe. C’mon breathe. In and out. Breathe Tony please!” A very familiar voice seeps through his ears.</p><p>As the fog around his brain starts to clear, he realizes that he is in the waiting room with Pepper sitting right next to him rubbing circles in his back.</p><p>“Pep, Pete-”</p><p>“I know,Tony. I know. F.R.I.D.A.Y. told me everything. He is in the best hands. He is going to be alright.” she says softly. “Relax, Tony. Just breathe.”</p><p><em>How had he let this happen?</em> <em>Who the hell had tried to kill Peter? What had he been poisoned with? Is he even going to be alright?<br/></em></p><p>“<em>Boss, there is a situation.”</em></p><p>“Not now, F.R.I.” <em>Not now. He had to find out </em><em>the who</em><em>ever and whatever</em><em> had poisoned Peter. Everything else can wait.</em></p><p>“<em>The situation involves Mr Keener”</em></p><p>Tony’s entire body goes rigid.</p><p>
  <em>WHAT?</em>
</p><p>He looks at Pepper, confusion and fear etched across his face.</p><p>“What is it F.R.I.D.A.Y.?” Pepper demands as she squeezes Tony’s shoulder.</p><p>“Mr Keener arrived at the Tower few minutes ago injured when Boss was preoccupied with Mr Parker. So, I took the liberty of informing Mr Hogan was informed about the situation and currently the two of them are making their way towards the MedBay. Mr Keener is sporting a stab wound in the lower right of his abdomen and it requires immediate medical attention, Boss.”</p><p>Tony’s brain short circuits.</p><p>
  <em>Harley Keener is in New York.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Harley Keener has been FREAKING STABBED.</em>
</p><p>Tony felt as if both his worlds came crashing down at the same time. The elevator dings making both Pepper and him jump out of their seats.</p><p>Happy and Harley stumble out of the elevator. Harley has one arm around happy and other one is bloodied as he is clutching his side to stem the blood oozing out of the stab-wound.</p><p>“Oh my God!” Pepper exclaims. Tony hears the tremble in her voice.</p><p>Harley’s unfocused and clouded eyes dart around for a moment in a confused daze. When they meet his own, Tony feels the world freeze around him.</p><p>A slow grin appears on Harley’s pale face that turns into a painful grimace.</p><p>“Surprise, old man!” he drawls out.</p><p>Before Tony can get a word out of his mouth, Harley’s eyes roll back into his head and he promptly passes out.</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. What it Takes for a Good Day!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hurrah! Done with the second chapter! Hope you enjoy it!</p>
<p>P.S. Sorry for the slight delay in the update. :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Harley was having a <em>good</em> day.</p>
<p><em>Scratch that. </em> Harley was actually having a <strong> <em>great</em> </strong> day.</p>
<p>The cold December breeze pricks his face and he slips his hands into his pockets as he trudges slowly to the Tower dragging a tiny suitcase behind him. He shivers as a faster wind picks up. <em>Should have worn the damn jacket. It's freezing already.<br/></em></p>
<p>His impromptu trip to New York had been nothing short of amazing up until that moment. Though the last minute invite to the Techwiz Robotics Summit had caused a frenzy in the Keener household -<em>stupid</em> Tennessee courier service – <em>Why the hell couldn’t e-mail it to </em><em>him</em><em>?!</em> C<em>ourier? Like really?!-</em> his mum and Abbie had somehow managed to pack anything and everything that Harley would need during his little trip.<em><br/></em></p>
<p>He had also convinced mum not to call Tony beforehand so that he could surprise him by dropping at the tower unannounced. ("C’mon mum! Let me do this just one time! You know he’s gonna send a <em>freaking</em> jet if you call him!”) He smirked at the thought of giving the old man a <em>tiny</em> heart attack when he arrives. With that mischievous little plan set and a lot of fretting by his mum, Harley had finally – <em>finally!</em> made it to the venue after a three hour - <em>nearly missed, thanks to his mum's stubborn old Fiat </em>-flight.</p>
<p>Fortunately, all the stress and exhaustion from the last minute hectic travel had dissipated in the electric atmosphere at the venue. The summit had immediately earned a place in the  "List of Things Harley Officially Enjoyed<em>". </em>The ideas presented excited him and made hundreds of innovations spring in his mind which he couldn't to wait to share with Tony. This was exactly why he found school at Rose Hill was downright <em>boring</em>. None can blame him for the fact that it put him to sleep <em>instantaneously</em>.</p>
<p>Of course, Tony had proposed the idea of him moving to one of the New York STEM schools but Harley had quickly turned him down.</p>
<p>“It’s just for schooling, buddy. You’ll be back home during all the breaks. Hell, I can get you here every weekend if you want to.” Tony had argued.</p>
<p>However, the <em>mere</em> thought of leaving his mum and Abbie sent shudders down his spine. <em>Nope</em>. <em>He can’t</em><em>. He just can't.</em> <em>Not after his father.</em></p>
<p>In addition, his mum already hated it when Tony spent his fortune on them (“Oh for god’s sake Hannah! I’m a freaking billionaire and spending a few dollars on getting ice cream will not leave a dent in my account!”) and she would <em>literally</em> have a stroke if Tony paid for Harley’s schooling.</p>
<p>“We aren’t charity case, Tony” she had said once patting the said man in the back. “You <em>being</em> here for my kid is more than anything we could ask for.”</p>
<p>And Harley agrees. <em>Completely</em>.</p>
<p>Even though, he’d always known before that his father never truly loved them, Harley had tried to paint the picture of a happy family in school. He had lied when someone questioned about his father’s absence on PTAs. He had lied about the yelling. He had lied about the flinching. He had lied about the bruises that littered his back. He had lied about <em>every single goddamn thing</em> that even <em>remotely</em> concerned his father. To the world, <em>David</em> <em>Keener</em> had been an <em>extremely</em> busy man, nevertheless a <em>loving</em> husband and a <em>caring</em> dad. Harley had been <em>almost</em> proud of the <em>near</em> flawless picture he had painted.</p>
<p>And one day his father walked out of the family.</p>
<p>
  <em>That’s the thing about truth, isn’t it? Smacks you right in the face no matter how hard you deny it.</em>
</p>
<p>Indeed, Harley had come to terms with that as there was no point in crying over spilled milk. His shell of denial had cracked and he had accepted the truth. But along with the <em>acceptance</em> came the <em>obsession</em>. <em>The obsession </em><em>of stating the </em><em>truth.</em></p>
<p><em>T</em> <em>his was his repentance for lying. Calling a spade a spade.</em></p>
<p>
  <em>A way to push back the void in his life. A way to make it hurt less in the end.<br/></em>
</p>
<p>Then one fine evening Iron Man had crashed into his garage and Tony Stark stepped into his life. And with him came hope, that no matter how hard Harley tried to crush, blazed to life like fire.</p>
<p>Never in his life had he thought that Tony would become a constant in his life. It had all started off with the over the top remodeling of his garage into a fancy lab worth many lakhs. Slowly but steadily, late night phone calls, video chats and occasional visits had become commonplace. Harley had gotten used to the sight of hovering Iron Man armor at his bedside window. <em>Constant. Definitely a constant.</em></p>
<p><em>" </em>Boring day at work, kiddo. So, thought of paying a visit to the little mechanic. Where's my sandwich by the way?" Tony would say as he stepped into his room albeit via the window.</p>
<p>"Uh uh. Not this time, old man. Go and make yourself one." Harley would retort and just like that they would settle into funny bickering as they went over everything that happened in their respective lives since they last met .</p>
<p>There is always a warm feeling that spreads within him when <em>every</em> <em>time</em> he thinks of Tony. <em>A warm and secure feeling</em>. There were restless nights when he <em>wondered</em> about it, <em>prodded</em> at it and <em>pondered</em> over it. He doesn’t know why it happens or rather is <em>afraid</em> to acknowledge his own thoughts so he concedes to just live the moment and cherish it while it lasts.</p>
<p>His phone buzzes and he fishes it out of his pocket. It's a message from mum.</p>
<p><em><b>Mum:</b></em> have you reached the tower harley?</p>
<p><em>She’s already started worrying.</em> He shakes his head as he types out a reply.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><em> <b>Harls: </b> </em>i’m just a few blocks away mum</p>
<p>10 mins and i’ll be there</p>
<p>Almost immediately his phone buzzes.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><em> <b>Mum: </b> </em>that’s good kiddo</p>
<p>           text me once you reach there</p>
<p>           don’t let tony do anything crazy while you’re there okay?</p>
<p>           and give pepper my love</p>
<p>He cannot help but chuckle at the impression his mother has about Tony.</p>
<p><em><strong>Harls:</strong></em> Anything for you ma’am ;)</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He is so engrossed in his phone that he runs headfirst into someone. He staggers back to regain his balance and his phone slips out of his hands and clatters to the ground. Instinctively, he bends to retrieve it while simultaneously apologizing.</p>
<p>“Shit! I’m sorry! I wasn’t—<strong><em>woah</em></strong>!”</p>
<p>A balled fist connects with his jaw, the world tilts and he hits the pavement landing on his butt.</p>
<p>
  <em>Jesus! What is wrong with this guy?</em>
</p>
<p>Harley brushes himself off as he stands and faces the man he had run into. The man is large - 6ft at the least- has an athletic build and is covered in black clothes from head to toe. His face is hidden by black scarf and only his icy blue eyes are visible.</p>
<p><em>Right. Must be a mugger.</em> <em>When the hell did muggers become so color coordinated?!</em></p>
<p>There's no way winning this man in a fist fight, so he does the next best thing. <em>Seek help</em>. Harley looks around frantically for anyone but painfully realizes that he is all alone in the alleyway.</p>
<p>
  <em>Great! He had walked right into the trap like an unsuspecting mouse.<br/></em>
</p>
<p>He takes a deep breath - <em>don’t panic don’t panic </em>- and holds his hands up in placating gesture.<em>Time for change of tactics.</em></p>
<p>“Look man! I hardly have $20 on me and let me tell you, you’re just wast--<em>”</em></p>
<p>He cuts off abruptly as searing pain courses through his abdomen.</p>
<p>What the----</p>
<p>
  <em>Did he just plunge a freaking knife into me?!</em>
</p>
<p>As he visually takes in the shock of a knife lodged in his lower right of his stomach, the pain that hits him is blinding and Harley forgets to breathe. His vision blurs and he involuntarily lets out a whimper as he tries to grab the man's collar.</p>
<p>“Why--” he wheezes but the man doesn’t seem to listen. He twists the knife and pulls it out as a scream rips from Harley’s throat and his knees buckle under him.</p>
<p>
  <em>Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain.</em>
</p>
<p>Harley hits the pavement hard and his world explodes in agony. He shuts his eyes and wills the pain to go away as he feels a warm liquid soak his T-Shirt. He must have passed out for a moment because when he opens his eyes the black-clad man is nowhere to be found. <em>Great. Just great.</em></p>
<p>He brings a trembling hand to the wound and nausea hits him like a train as blood trickles down his fingers. He forcefully pushes down the bile that had risen in his throat and groans as he slowly gets to his feet when another wave of pain shoots up his body.</p>
<p>He stumbles but catches himself with the help of a post. A small puddle of blood pools around his feet and the nausea returns in full force.</p>
<p>His lunch makes a reappearance as he retches into the pavement and he groans as pain hits a whole new level. <em>Christ! What an ending to a perfect day!</em></p>
<p>After god-knows-how-long he stops heaving and clasps a hand at his wound to staunch the bleeding. His head hurts and he feels woozy as he struggles to form a single clear thought.</p>
<p>
  <em>Tony. Call Tony. Yes.</em>
</p>
<p>He sways as he looks around desperately for his phone but it is nowhere to be seen.</p>
<p>
  <em>Fu**! This man went all out for killing him!</em>
</p>
<p>A sense of helplessness creeps upon him and he looks up at the outline of the Tower glistening in the rays of dusk. There was <em>no other</em> way. He<em> had to</em> make it to the Tower.</p>
<p>
  <em>C'mon Keener! Pull your shit together. You're not going down without a fight.</em>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>“<em>Boss,</em> stop.” <em>No</em>.</p>
<p>“Tony, please.” <em>No</em>.</p>
<p>Tony paces <em>furiously</em> in the waiting room. </p>
<p>
  <em>How dare?! How dare someone try to lay a hand on the kids?</em>
</p>
<p>As a thousand questions bombard his brain anger boils inside him and he paces <em>faster</em> and <em>faster</em>.</p>
<p>“You need to sit down, Tony. You are just wearing yourself out.” Pepper says from where she and Happy are standing.</p>
<p>“<em>Jesus</em> Pep! The kids are dying in there because of me and you want me to sit down! <em>Really</em>?!” His voice is an octave higher and he reflexively rubs his left wrist.</p>
<p>She sighs coming closer to him and places her hands on his shoulders forcing him to meet her eye. The concern and love he finds in them makes his bubble of anger deflate like a punctured balloon and fatigue weighs upon him as his eyes glaze over.</p>
<p>“It’s <em>my</em> fault Pep. It’s <em>my</em> fault.” he whispers miserably.</p>
<p>“Don’t you <em>dare</em> do that yourself.” The look that she gives him would have made any other man cower under a table.“It’s not <em>your</em> fault that some <em>lunatic</em> decided to target <em>them</em> to get to you.”</p>
<p>“But Pep--” He starts only to be cutoff by the door swinging open to reveal a tired Helen Cho.</p>
<p>He opens his mouth but Pepper beats him to it.</p>
<p>“How are they, Helen?”</p>
<p>Helen gives her a small smile. “Both of them are out of danger.” Tony, Pepper and Happy let out a collective sigh.</p>
<p>Tony is a <em>hundred percent confident</em> that these were the <em>best</em> words he had heard in his life after the '<em>Yes</em>' from Pepper when he had proposed.</p>
<p>“<em>God</em> Helen! I don’t know how to thank you for--”</p>
<p>Helen places a hand on his arms in a comforting gesture and gives him a tired smile. “It was my job, Stark.” she says softly understanding shining in her eyes. She withdraws her hand and folds it in front of her quirking her eyebrow. “But yes, you can <em>thank</em> me by <em>not</em> bringing two dying teenagers and a <em>panicking</em> adult at the same time. It would do <em>wonders</em> for my stress levels.” she teases.</p>
<p>Pepper and Happy chuckle as Tony rolls his eyes.</p>
<p>“Harley's lucky that the knife did not hit anything vital. But he had lost quiet a lot of blood. I've stitched up the wound and sedated him. He'll be unconsciousness for an hour or two.” She looks pointedly at Tony. “A week's bed rest is a <em>must</em> for the wound to heal. And he must avoid exerting himself too much for the next three months.”</p>
<p>
  <em>A week's bed rest. That was not going go well with Harley.</em>
</p>
<p><em>“</em>Peter's vitals are stable now. We still have him under oxygen though, it's just precautionary measures. His enhanced healing factor has flushed out the toxin completely. He may feel a bit dizzy in the next few days but it's nothing to worry about. He can be discharged tomorrow but...<em>” </em>she trails off with a troubled face.</p>
<p>“What is it Helen? Is he okay? Is he--<em>” </em>Tony panics.</p>
<p>“No no, Stark. Calm down. He's completely fine.<em>”</em> she shakes her head.<em>“</em>It's just- it's the choice of toxin that troubles me.<em>” </em></p>
<p>Tony, Pepper and Happy give her confused glances.</p>
<p>“We found traces of Pyrethrin in his blood.<em>” </em>she starts nervously.</p>
<p>Tony's blood runs cold as realization dawns on him. Pepper and Happy still give her confused glances. She moves forward with her explanation.</p>
<p>“Pyrethrin is a major component of insecticides. It causes repeated nerve firing in insects and the hyper-excitation results in paralysis and ultimately the death of the insects. Such small traces in our blood would have most likely gone unnoticed or merely caused a rash or skin irritation. But <em>this</em> is <em>not</em> the case for Peter.<em>” </em>She pauses letting the information sink in. “It directly <em>attacks</em> the enhanced spider DNA causing a very <em>similar</em> reaction to that observed in insects and makes it life threatening for him. A higher dosage than the one currently administered would most likely <em>kill</em> him.<em>” </em></p>
<p>
  <em>Pyrethrin - the precise dosage - Oh God! That meant-- shit!</em>
</p>
<p><em>“No...” </em>Tony whispers<em>. This can't be happening.</em></p>
<p>He looks at her with wide disbelieving eyes and she nods gravely and voices the very thought Tony dreaded.</p>
<p>“<em>Whoever</em> did this, they <em>know</em> Peter is Spider-man.<em>” </em></p>
<p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Just for clarity's sake:<br/>Harley's mother - Hannah Keener<br/>Harley's father - David Keener<br/>Harley's sister - Abigail Keener a.k.a. Abbie</p>
<p>Thanks a lot for all the wonderful comments and kudos on Chapter 1!</p>
<p>Do comment on this one guys!!</p>
<p>Stay safe and healthy! - SK</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>There goes the first chapter.<br/>Pls feel free to tell me what you guys think about it!<br/>Comments and Kudos are appreciated!!</p><p>P.S. Update on next Sunday.</p><p>Stay safe and healthy guys! -SK</p></blockquote></div></div>
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